A solo mother of three has opened her books to show how once all her bills are paid she only has about $80 to buy food for her family.

The West Auckland mother spoke to NZME to dispel some of the myths.

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KidsCan chief executive Julie Chapman said there was a misconception that people struggling did not work whereas the latest child poverty monitor figures showed 40 per cent of children in poverty had at least one parent in work.

‘I can put my hand on my heart and say that the majority of parents I see are not doing drugs – they’re not doing alcohol – in fact they have very little money to be able to afford those things.

People need to understand that parents really do love their kids and quite frankly they’re embarrassed that they can’t provide for them – so for us it’s about giving them a hand up so they can get to school in a position to learn and do the best they can’.